Eagle-eyed cops swopped to seize a hungry customer's car as he queued up at a McDonald's drive-thru.
The man was oblivious to the fact that police had noticed something suspicious about his vehicle and were running checks.
They revealed the Toyota was not taxed, while the motorist - a Stoke-on-Trent man in his 30s - did not have a valid licence or insurance.
The vehicle was then impounded with the man facing a hefty fee to get it back.
Photos sent into StokeonTrentLive show the police car on the car park.
A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: "Officers spotted an uninsured vehicle at the McDonald’s restaurant on Talke Road, Chesterton, Newcastle at about 4.45pm yesterday (27 January).
"The Toyota vehicle also had no tax, while the driver – a man in his 30s from Stoke-on-Trent – also had no valid driver’s licence and wasn’t named as a driver on the vehicle’s insurance.
"It was seized and the process of recovering the vehicle was explained to the driver."
It is not known whether the man got his takeaway before finding alternative transport to get home.
